Bagbin Grants MPs A Day Off To Lead Green Ghana Day Tree Planting Exercise

Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has granted Members of Parliament (MPs) a day off from their parliamentary duties to lead their constituents in tree-planting activities.

This comes as the country marks the third edition of its tree-planting exercise headlined Green Ghana Day.

Despite the ongoing issue of illegal mining, known as Galamsey, the Speaker emphasized that this should not deter the country from actively participating in tree-planting initiatives.

He urged MPs to take a leading role in the tree planting exercise, highlighting the transformational impact of extensive tree planting, similar to what has been observed in other parts of the world.

Mr. Bagbin drew attention to the successful reforestation efforts in regions like the Middle East, specifically mentioning Dubai, where desert areas have been transformed into flourishing forests through large-scale tree planting.

He acknowledged that while Ghana’s tree-planting efforts primarily involve seedlings, the focus should be on ensuring their growth and survival.

“We plant and go away, and the survival rate is what we are talking about, which we have to work on. But I believe that it’s better to do this than to say that because there is galamsey, we will not plant the trees, then we will worsen the situation,” the speaker said.

In his brief, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, shared the encouraging news that the survival rate of the trees planted last year exceeded 80%.

He called on the public to actively support and engage in the tree planting exercise, emphasizing the collective responsibility in nurturing and preserving the planted trees.

Green Ghana Day serves as a unifying call for MPs and the public to join hands in planting trees and contributing to the restoration and preservation of Ghana’s forest resources.